That UK Internet Filter May Block Way More Than Porn

[ReadWrite]

   

Not content with forcing UK residents to opt out of porn-based filtering of their Internet service, the government of Prime Minister David Cameron may well cut off access to many unrelated Web sites as well. The Open Rights Group, a digital-rights advocacy outfit in the UK, reports that its discussions with Internet providers suggest that they will also filter a wide variety of other sites by default.

Such filtering, the OSR wrote, could include:

☑ pornography

☑ violent material

☑ extremist and terrorist related content

☑ anorexia and eating disorder websites

☑ suicide related websites

☑ alcohol

☑ smoking

☑ web forums

☑ esoteric material

☑ web blocking circumvention tools

Users will still be able to opt out of such filtering, OSR reports—though in practice, relatively few people actually ever change default settings.

Image via Shutterstock

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